UH Mānoa engineering professor to study antibiotic resistance

UH Mānoa civil and environmental engineering (CEE) assistant professor Dr. Tao Yan,,was recently awarded a grant of $120,000 from the United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation for a two-year collaborative study with Israeli colleague Dr. Cytryn Eddie. The research project, which is titled "Molecular evolution of antibiotic resistance in soil exposed to anthropogenic factors," will investigate how human activities, such as irrigation with reused wastewaters, would affect the development of antibiotic resistance in soil and the consequences to human health.

"We are very pleased that, based on his qualifications and training, Dr. Yan has received this funding from an international source," said Dr. C. S. Papacostas, professor and chair of CEE. "We need to clearly understand these otherwise unanticipated adverse effects on health as we look for ways to reduce our ecological footprint."

The United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation is a grant-awarding institution established in 1972 to promote research cooperation between scientists from the two countries. Its income is derived from interest on an endowment of $100 million contributed to equally by the two governments.